American Gangster (Extended Version) (2007)
Sam: ****
- An interesting based-on-fact story of a murderous Harlem drug kingpin, Frank Lucas, who, apparently, used US military & Kuomintang connections to ship heroin out of Southeast Asia — cutting out the usual Mafia middlemen. The extended version is a little too extended, & it’s jarring that the lead character (Denzel Washington) is portrayed somewhat flatteringly while his violence & the devastation caused by his product are also shown. The postscript claims that the government eventually recovered $250M from Lucas (in 1970s money! That would be worth nearly a billion dollars today), and that his testimony led to the conviction of the majority(!) of NYPD narcotics cops.
Emma: ****
- Good acting. It was refreshing to see the late-’60s/early-’70s — an era we haven’t seen much in movies lately.
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The Omen 666 (2006)
Sam: **
- What a waste. A good story, a good cast, a Hollywood budget, European setting, yet a bad movie. It’s as if the filmmakers decided to make a horror movie for an audience that had never seen a horror movie, & didn’t know what to expect. I predicted the final scene almost frame for frame. Skip this & rent Rosemary’s Baby, released 40 years ago.
Emma: **
- The devil-child’s dad takes much too long to realize the truth — it’s unbelievable and stupid.
